More Machen

Please, by all means . . . If I were to swim in a sea of words, let his be among many. I don’t get how someone can inspire so many people to pick up a pen and spell out something terrifying, when the man himself never truly wrote about horrors outright. His is the quiet shout. Contemplative, tempting, but not always out right. Maybe that’s why I enjoy his work; to me it doesn’t seem like it’s always trying to be terrifying. Sometimes it doesn’t try hard enough*. Somehow I always find myself coming back for me–in fact I would read his work over Algernon Blackwood (who has provided me with much reading material).

Today I finished reading The White People. Title aside, the book is more along the lines of The Great God Pan . . . Somewhat. It was a surprisingly short read, and at the end turned into a cautionary tale. The writing was good, and once again the characters were very well written. I don’t have any major nit picks, except the length (it could have gone on forever, because it ended just when it was starting to get really interesting).

So, do I recommend this book? Yes, even if it’s only to pass the time. It also has some interesting ideas.

*Sometimes it varies from trying to hard to getting it right. Nobody’s perfect.